Easily cleaned cigarette snuffer slot



Sept. 6, 1960 J. G. LEONE 2,951,487

EASILY CLEANED CIGARETTE SNUFFER SLOT Filed July 2. 1957 /5 I I \/0 HG2.6 FIGA.

SAT In INVENTOR. JOSEPH 6. E0/v5 52,951,487 EASILY CLEANED CIGARErrESNUFFER sLoT Joseph G. Leone, Garden Grove, Calif., assigner to GlassContainers Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of DelawareFiled July z, 1957, ser. No. 669,551

2 Claims. (c1. 1312s5) This invention relates to and has for its primaryobject the provision of an ashtray having an improved cigarette snuierslot and resting surface.

Various ashtrays are currently in use which have cigarette -Snufferslots incorporated therein so that as a cigaretteheld in the slot burnsdown to the point of engagement with the slot, the burning cigarettewill be snuied out. These lashtrays are disadvantageous in that thesnuffer slot itself is generally the sole means of support for thecigarette and requires at least a slight degree of pressure to force thecigarette into gripped engagement by the snuler slot. oftentimes, theuser will not use suiicient force and the cigarette will be improperlygripped by the ashtray. The cigarette does not extinguish itself as itburns and sometimes falls out of the ashtray, creating -a lire hazard.In addition, these snuter slots become clogged with tars and are veryditicult to clean.

The present invention overcomes these problems by providing an ashtrayhaving an ash well with a cigarette supporting or resting surfaceextending from the well outwardly to theedge of the ashtray. Thissurface supports the bottom of a cigarette for a large percentage of thelength of the cigarette and thus increases the vstability of thecigarette in the ashtray and decreases the possibility that thecigarette Will fall out of the ashtray as the cigarette length decreasesin burning. This supporting surface is preferably formed from twoinwardly and downwardly inclined facets centrally joined along adepressed junction line extending angularly downwardly from theoutermost edge of the ashtray inwardly to the ash well to aid inpositioning the cigarette in proper relation to the ash well.

A snuier slot is formed adjacent the ash well by two generally vertical,blunt, knife-like cigarette holding edges in either side of thesupporting surface. Since these holding edges are used solely forsnufling purposes, rather than lbeing used for the sole, or major,support of the cigarette, they are spaced apart at their bases justslightly less than the diameter of a cigarette. Very little etort isthen required to insert a cigarette between these snuting edges, thusinsuring the proper disposition of a burning cigarette in the ashtray.Properly positioned, with the cigarette being supported by the abovedescribed supporting surface and lightly gripped by the snuffing edges,the cigarette will be 4snuied when it burns down to the snuiilng edgesand will not fall out of the ashtray.

Thus, an object of the invention is to provide an ashtray with acigarette rest and snuffer slot as above described.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ashtray having aconfiguration such that when a plurality of such ashtrays are stacked ontop of one another, air may circulate freely into and out of the ashwells to facilitate drying thereof after washing.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the course of thefollowing detailed description.

In the drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which likeparts are designated by like reference numerals throughout the same:

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Fig. l is a top plan view of an ashtray constructed in accordance withthe present invention and having improved cigarette snuier slots andcigarette nests;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view, of the ashtray shown in Fig. 1, lookinginto the improved snuifer slot of the present invention from itsoutermost point; I

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the lines III- 'III in Fig. 1,and showing the downwardly inclined cigarette rest of the presentinvention in association with the snuier slot;

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of two ashtrays of the presentinvention in a stacked position; and

Fig. 5l is a perspective view of the present invention holding aplurality of cigarettes burned to various lengths.

Generally speaking, the improved cigarette snuifer slot, generallyindicated at 6, is formed by the two spaced apart wall portions 7 whichprovide the snutier slot therebetween. When viewed from above (Fig. 1)the wall portions 7 are V-shaped, with the apices of the Vs beingclosest to each other. The snutler slot wall portions 7 have generallyvertical and spacedly opposed blunt cigarette holding edges or surfaces8 which can firmly grasp a cigarette 9 therebetween. As seen in Fig. 1,the holding surfaces 8 blunt the apices of the V-shaped slot wallportions 7.

The holding surfaces are spaced apart at their lowermost points, adistance slightly less than the diameter of a cigarette. Since acigarette is cylindrical, and since the vertical holding surfaces 8 arerelatively narrow, the cigarette will be grasped at two relativelysmall, diametrically opposed points thereon. This will Virtuallyeliminate crushing of the cigarette when grasped by the snuifer slot,while yet having sufficient contact therebetween for snutling purposes.

The slot formed by the holding surfaces 8 tapers 11pwardly with thewider portion being at the upper end to permit the cigarette 9 to beeasily slid into full holding and snuffing contact with the spaced edges8.

The snuffer slot 6 is associated with an ashtray 10 having anash-retaining well 13 and a cigarette rest 11 in combination with theslot 6, as shown in Figs. 1-4.

As shown in Fig. 3, the cigarette rest 11 has a downwardly inclinedbottom from its outermost portion 14 to its innermost edge or portion 15which is adjacent the ash-retaining well 13. The downwardly inclinedcigarette rest 11 includes two inwardly and downwardly inclined facets17 centrally joined along a depressed junction line 16 extendingangularly downwardly from the outermost point 14 of the cigarette rest11 to the innermost edge 15 thereof. The facets 17 serve to straightenout the cigarette 9 so that it will be aligned with the central inclinedjunction line 16 and the snuing slot 6.

The substantially V-shaped snuier slot portions 7 includes outer lateralwall portions inclined away from an imaginary central axis of the snuierslot 6 which is coincident with and extends along the inclined junctionline 16. This is best illustrated in Fig. l. The V-shaped snuer slotportions 7 also include inner lateral wall portions 19 which, in effect,comprise the upper outer periphery 20 of the ash-retaining well 13, asshown in Figs. 1-5. The upper outer periphery 20 is non-continuous, inthat the slots 6 break up the continuity, and has depressed sections 21,whereby air may circulate into the ash-retaining well 13 to hastendrying.

The depressed sections 21 make it possible for numerous ashtrays 10 tobe stacked on top of each other, as shown in Fig. 4 for storage andshipping or for drying. This particular ashtray 10, as illustratedherein, touches the upper ashtray 10 at eight points (the apex of theedges 8), and by the point loading arrangement reduces the tendency ofthe glassy, slick-surfaced, ashtrays 10 to slide, thereby reducingbreakage.

1. An ashtray having an ash receiving well and -a cigarette restadjoining said well, said rest having a bottom comprising two planarfacets inclined downwardly slightly toward each other `and meeting in astraight line inclined downwardly towards said well, said ashtray havingupstandingV wall portions adjacent said well which include a pair ofrelatively narrow straight surfaces extending parallel to and generallyvertically of said line on opposite sides thereof, said surfaces beingslightly inclined away from said line whereby a cigarette placed in therest will have its longitudinal axis above and parallel to said line anda portion of the cigarette will be wedged between said surfaces wherebythe cigarette will be extinguished when the burning end reaches saidsurfaces.

2. An ashtray having a centrally disposed ash receiving well surroundedby peripheral portions having straight external sides meeting atcorners, the height of the peripheral portions being a maximum at theportions thereof immediately adjacent the corners, the portions of eachperipheral portion between the corners being arcuate and having a heightless than the portions adjacent the corners whereby air may enter theash receiving wells to dry the same when a similar ashtray is stackedthereon, the ashtray having cigarette rests at each of the corners, eachrest being radially inwardly inclined and having 4a bottom portioncomprising two planar facets inclined downwardly slightly toward eachother yand meeting in a straight line radially disposed with respect tothe tray, the inner portion of said rests each having wall portions, theradially innermost parts of which comprise a pair of relatively narrowstraight surfaces extending parallel to said line on opposite sidesthereof and being slightly inclined away from said line whereby acigarette placed in the rest will have its longitudinal axis above andparallel to said line and a portion of the cigarette will be weldedbetween said surfaces whereby the cigarette will not fall out of therest and will be extinguished when the burning end reaches saidsurfaces.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D.114,920 Dyke May 23, 1959 1,492,564 Heller May 6, 1924 1,667,663 HoosApr. 24, 1928 1,813,313 Oflltt July 7, 1931 2,063,717 Barbiere Dec. 8,1936 2,410,487 Eweson Nov. 5, 1946 2,467,405 Phaturos Apr. 19, 1949

